Baked/broiled fish cuts heart failure risk

Washington: A recent study has shown that postmenopausal women who ate more baked or broiled fish were at a lower risk of developing a heart failure compared to those who ate more fried fish.

Researchers have found that women who ate baked/broiled fish (five or more servings/week) had a 30 pc lower risk of heart failure compared to women who seldom ate it (less than one serving/month).

The study further suggests that the type of fish and cooking method may affect heart failure risk. Dark fish (salmon, mackerel and bluefish) significantly reduce heart failure risk than either tuna or white fish (sole, snapper and cod).

On the other hand, eating fried fish hikes the risk of a heart failure. Even one serving a week was associated with a 48 pc higher heart failure risk.

"Not all fish are equal, and how you prepare it really matters," said Donald Lloyd-Jones, senior author of the study.

"When you fry fish, you not only lose a lot of the benefits, you likely add some things related to the cooking process that are harmful," he added.

A team led by Lloyd-Jones examined self-reported dietary data from 84,493 postmenopausal women in the Women``s Health Initiative Observational Study.

They divided the participants based on the frequency and type of fish consumption. The baked/broiled fish group consisted of canned tuna, tuna salad, tuna casserole, white fish (broiled or baked), dark fish (broiled or baked) and shellfish (not fried). Whereas, the fried fish group consisted of fried fish, fish sandwich and fried shellfish.

The result showed that participants who ate more baked/broiled fish tended to be healthier and younger than their counterparts who ate fried fish.

They were more physically active and fit, more educated and less likely to smoke, have diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease (irregular heartbeat and coronary artery disease).